Trastuzumab emtansine
HER2 InhibitorUsed in HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer patients who have already used taxane and/or trastuzumab for metastatic disease or had their cancer recur within 6 months of adjuvant treatment.
Trastuzumab emtansine is a HER2 antibody drug conjugate. The antibody portion is trastuzumab, which is humanized anti-HER2 IgG1, and produced in the mammalian Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. The drug portion is DM1, which is a maytansine derivative that inhibits microtubules. These two portions are covalently connected by 4-[N-maleimidomethyl] cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (MCC), which is a stable thioether linker. Together MCC and DM1 are called emtansine and are produced by chemical synthesis. Trastuzumab emtansine binds to the HER2 receptor’s sub-domain IV and goes into the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Lysosomes degrade trastuzumab emtansine and release DM1. DM1 binds to tubulin in microtubules and inhibits microtubule function producing cell arrest and apoptosis. As well, similar to trastuzumab, in vitro studies have shown that both HER2 receptor signalling inhibition and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity are mediated by trastuzumab emtansine.